MammaWise

Doulas too! 😆😆😆

We learn so much through our experiences! Every nursing relationship teaches us new things, and it ultimately makes us better parents, but this does not mean that your parenting prior to that education was "less than". YOU are an awesome parent! Hugs, Babes!

Empowerment Wisdom Intuition Strength

Yes.

So many women are terrified of having a long labor. We need to remember that our bodies labor the way it needs to labor. As long and mom and baby are doing great and mom is willing to continue - then there is no need for intervention of medical staff.
Intentional Birth shared:

"Today’s email is authored by a beautiful, courageous mom, Aanchal, who had a very long and triumphant birth.

November 30, 2020. I'd just lost my mucus plug with a slight tinge of blood. The next day, some signs of progress, yet uncertainty lingered. As I got into bed that night, I felt a warm trickle down my legs, followed by a deluge. Waters officially open for business! I waited for the surges. 48+ hours passed. This isn't the normal order of things, is it? Where's the pain they talk about?Anticipation, excitement, fear, kept me awake.

Late on Dec 2, the first surge, gradual and unyielding. Minutes apart, minutes long, enduring days. Shaking, nauseous, sleepless, embraced by support from my partner, Alicia and my mother. Since there would be a break in surges in the evenings, we invited a midwife to check on the baby and make sure everything was okay. It was.

Three days of this and I finally told my partner that I needed pain relief. Longing to meet our baby with a smile, not defeated and exhausted.

At 5:30 am, we journeyed to the hospital, the lowest dose of an epidural bringing sleep's solace.
10:00am. The nurse thought I looked ready to push and sought my permission to check me. She felt my baby's head and told me I was complete. I sought more time.
1:00pm. Tried different positions to push while confined to the bed because of the epidural. Not much progress.
4:00pm. More pushing. A blob of hair! Excitement and a mirror joined the clock in the room. Tanking up on Gatorade, I kept going.
6:00pm. Murmurs of vacuum and pitocin started. I declined and asked them to leave the room. A 10-minute nap. Kind of like falling asleep in the middle of a theatrical performance with a live audience.

That nap renewed my vigor. Energetic and steadfast, I pushed with all my might. We saw more of my little guy! This continued for another couple of hours. I’m told it’s very rare for a hospital to allow you to push for 7+ hours. We seemed to get away since everything looked good with me and baby, and we declined any other interventions that were offered.

Finally at 8:39pm, with a burning sensation (the ring of fire) that reminded me just how alive and lucky I am to be able to bring life into this world, my "Vir" arrived (his name means "brave" in Hindi - exactly how I’d describe his journey to Earth). "

There is no 'shared decision-making'. Women make the decisions. Care providers offer information and support – regardless of the decisions.

Thought for the day:

Apples do not ripen all at the same moment.

They have a season.

Some need a little longer to ripen.

Some are a bit bigger than average, some are a bit smaller than average.

They're all equally lovely.

Same with labour, birth and babies.

Be an individual.

Ripen in your own time 😆😊

(For more evidence-based conversations about the timing of birth, see www.sarawickham.com/time)

From Intentional Birth:
" What can make a birth stretch across multiple days? Or a pushing phase take many hours? Here are a few possible reasons.
• Baby is posterior (facing forward), asynclitic (head tilted to one side), or chin unflexed, and needs more time to descend, rotate, or reposition.
• Mom's tissues are tight and need more time or support to yield and stretch, to make space for baby.
• The environment for the birth is stressful to mom, inhibiting the flow of labor-charging hormones. This might mean she does not feel safe in the place she is birthing, or it's a people problem. Remember Sarah Buckley's words from our summit, "The core requirement for birth in all mammals is that the laboring female feels private, safe, and unobserved."
• It's an induction! Because the body and baby are not ready for spontaneous labor, induction can take much longer.
• Mom is tired or undernourished. The uterus needs rest and fuel for effective contractions.
And most importantly, sometimes everything can be aligned and birth still takes its time. Maybe the baby has its reasons. Maybe this is just the journey that mother and baby need together at the beginning of their walk of life. We can troubleshoot, and we can try different tools, and as long as baby and mom are both well, we can trust time."

Thinking about an induction? Read this first! X http://www.birthgoddess.com.au/2013/01/so-you-are-thinking-about-an-induction/

My baby and I are working together in perfect harmony.

If home birthers turned all the questions/comments they received around on hospital birthers...

"What in the world would make you decide to hospital birth?"
"Weren't you worried that you or your baby might die in the hospital?"
"I could never hospital birth. I don't have the tolerance for the interventions - the inductions, the continuous fetal monitoring, the vaginal exams, the lithotomy position, the early cord clamping, the mother/baby separation, the strangers..."
"How did you deal with being stuck in bed the whole time?"
"My baby would have died if I had had a hospital birth."
"Hospital birth might be ok for your 2nd baby but you surely won't hospital birth your first baby, will you?"
"Well, I guess hospital birth is fine for you but most families really shouldn't hospital birth."
"Oh! Little Johnny was born in a hospital. Weren't you afraid? Did you have a cesarean section? Did you get to hold him right away? Did you get any infections? How did you cope with all those people in your room?"
"I could never hospital birth. I'm the expert on my body and my baby so how could I expect that a stranger could care more about me and my baby that I do?"
"How can you stand spending so much time away from your home, your bed, your children, your food?"
"If you wanted to birth at a hospital, your partner would let you, right?"
"Is it legal to have your baby in the hospital?"
"How expensive is hospital birth and do insurance companies really cover it?"
"How do you know if you are getting the best care in the hospital?"
"Aren't you afraid a hospital birth will be hard? I met one mother once who had a hard birth and she had birthed in the hospital."
:)

I really wish that all new mothers were told that the majority of newborns want to breastfeed much more frequently than every few hours. And many even want to stay latched on, suckling for extended periods of time. This can understandably shake a new mother’s confidence and make her second guess if she’s producing enough milk to keep her nursling satisfied. Women are usually just told that their baby should nurse ‘every 2-3 hours’, but frequent (and lengthy) nursing is a totally normal thing for newborns to do! It helps keep them close to mama while regulating her milk supply.
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Often babies won’t have these longer stretches between feeds until they’re a little older. Even then, there are several things that could make them want to nurse more, including (but not limited to) teething, sickness, unfamiliar surroundings, or feeling tired. I can’t imagine how miserable it would be to have a fussy baby in your arms but feel like you shouldn’t breastfeed again because it’s “not time yet”.
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This isn’t discussed often enough and new mothers need to be reassured. If baby is gaining weight, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with breastfeeding more often than what you’ve been told is ‘normal’. The postpartum period is all about surrendering, so cozy up with your babe and forget the clock.

Photo x

Patience is our first lesson as a mother

Child 'feeds' doll with a bottle - no-one takes a second glance. Child 'breastfeeds' doll - everyone thinks it's cute, funny, awkward, confusing (insert reaction). Will there be a time when no-one takes a second glance at this too? :)

What does a contraction feel like?⁠
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I find them so hard to describe as they change as labour progresses!⁠
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At first it is just a small twinge. Like running in place. You can feel it, but it's no biggie.⁠

Then it gets more intense. With a contraction, you primarily feel the intensity at peak of the surge. It's like feeling the increasing burn in your legs as you run up a hill...and then feeling that relief as you reach the top and get to run down the other side.⁠
Other muscles are now involved...it's not just your uterus but your abdominal muscles and your pelvic floor are working too. ⁠

And towards the end of labour, it is like an all out sprint. The intensity lasts from the start of the contraction to the end of the contraction. ⁠
You might feel like you have nothing left to give...but you can see the finish line and you keep pushing because you know your baby is almost here!⁠
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I think labour does lend itself well to the marathon analogy.⁠
It usually lasts a while, some parts will feel easier than others, you will hit a few walls.⁠

So treat it like a marathon.⁠
Prepare yourself.⁠
During early labour, take it slow and rest up as much as you can (lie down until it is not comfortable to lie down anymore)! ⁠
Ensure you are drinking replenishing fluids and snacking for energy.⁠
Work with your body!⁠
Know how to push through those walls!⁠
Have a support team cheering you on!⁠
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How would you describe a contraction?⁠
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Image via .world.
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This workshop has been a dream of mine for many years - how to help mom feel better while empowering dad to take an active role in the pregnancy journey!

Non-birthing partners often feel powerless and wonder what they can do to help, but also often lack the confidence or are fearful of hurting their pregnant partner.

This workshop will address ALL of these concerns! Non-birthing partners will have expert hands on instruction from Women's Health Physical Therapist and Massage Therapist Kirstin Bergman in learning hands on techniques to help their partner feel better + relax while strengthening the bond between them and with baby ❤️

Class size is VERY limited, so register early! Registration info linked here: https://www.kirstinbergman.com/empowered-partners-workshop

p.s. each couple will also receive a complimentary gift including massage cream and pregnancy-safe essential oils to enhance the massage experience!